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Marquette, Oklahoma State look to overcome struggles in Maui

Nov 20, 2007 - 2:50 PM No. 13 Marquette (3-0) at Oklahoma St (2-1) 7:00 pm EST

LAHAINA, Hawaii (Ticker) -- Even though its latest win was a bit tougher than expected, winning early-season tournament games does not seem to be a problem for No. 13 Marquette.

The 13th-rank Golden Eagles continue their bid for another early-season title when they meet Oklahoma State in the semifinals of the Maui Invitational.

Marquette struggled most of the game during its 74-63 win over Division II Chaminade on Monday. It is a trend that has played out in their earlier wins over Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) and Utah Valley State for the Golden Eagles, who were unable to put away a lesser opponent until the closing minutes.

Despite the tougher-than-expected win, the Golden Eagles have won 11 consecutive games in November tournaments dating to the 2004 BCA Classic, a title they won along with the 2005 Great Alaska Shootout and 2006 CBE Classic.

So far, balance has carried Marquette as the team has put four players in double figures in each of their three contests. Junior guard Jerel McNeal, who scored 22 points in Monday's triumph, leads the team in scoring with 16.3 points per game.

Oklahoma State had its own issues on Monday, racing out to an 18-point halftime before nearly giving it all back in a 83-77 win over Louisiana State. Freshman forward James Anderson scored 25 points and junior guard Terrel Harris added 24 - including two free throws with 16 seconds left to seal the victory.

The Cowboys are 4-0 all-time against Marquette, but the teams have not played since 1998. The winner of this game will play either the winner of No. 10 Duke and Illinois in the championship game on Wednesday while the losers will meet in the third-place consolation game.